Improvement in rotary engines



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

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2 Sheets--Sheet 2. J. McGOWAN.

Botary Engines.

N0. 134,082. Patented Dec.17, 1872.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,089, dated December17, 1872.

To all whom it 'may concern.:

Be it knownv that I, JOHN p Miiiin township, in the county of Alleghenyand State of Pennsylvania, have made certain Improvements in that classof mechanical contrivances known as Rotary Engines, which are designedas an improvement upon that for which Letters Patent were granted to meon the 1st day of August, 1871, wherein alternately-reciprocating slidesor abutments are used in connection with a rotary disk provided Vwith aradial piston and induction and eduction ports, in combination withother parts necessary to form an operative mechanism.

In that engine but one revolving` disk is employed, and otherwise soconstructed as that the live steam on entering the cylinder so actedagainst the side of said revolving disk as to crowd or forceit overagainst one head of the cylinder in such a manner as to create atroublesome amount of friction. The object of my present invention is toovercome this diculty; and to this end I use two rotary disks so coupledtogether within the one cylinder as to take the steam between them andact with equal pressure in opposite directions on both, whereby acomplete balance or equipoise is maintained in such proportion as togreatly relieve the engine of much friction that would otherwise ensue.

-My invention will be readily understood by the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure lrepresents a perspective top view of my improved rotary engine 5 Fig. 2,a transverse vertical section of the frame used in supporting theengine, showing one end of the cylinder with its head removed to exhibitone of the rotary disks 5 Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section of thecylinder and rotary disks; and Fig. 4, a similar view on a horizontalplane, enlarged, the better to show the several parts.

. The frame A of the engine, together with the construction and actionof the sliding abutments B, and the means used for giving them theproper reciprocating movement, is

substantially the same as shown and described in the patent No. 117,656heretofore granted to me; but in this case the cylinder O is of doubledepth or capacity, and consists of two compartments, a a, separated byan annular central flange, D, in each of which is placed a rotatingdisk, E, of a diameter somewhat less than that of the cylinder, so as toleave McGowAN, of-

around the periphery of said disks an annular space fitted with slidesB, one of which is always in place to form a partition or abutmentwithin but each abutment is withdrawn in turn by means of a pin on itsrod, u, extending into the cam-shaped groove S cut in the circumferenceof the wheel Hon that side of the cylinder, by which arrangement theslides are alternately drawn in and out to enable either piston k topass in their revolutions.

The steam, on entering the induction-pipe T, will flow down into theopen recess W between the disks E E', and continue onward into suchradial openings e e as may be in communication therewith, and throughthem into the annular piston-chambers ca back of each piston and closedsliders B, and by its pressure or expansive force give motion to thepistons, disks, shaft, and other operative parts of the engine, theexhaustion being effected in front of each piston in turn, throughpassages d d on the opposite sides of the disks E E precisely the sameas those through which the live steam entered, and from thence outthrough openings R It, one in each head L of the cylinder.

As the live steam enters between the disks E E the tendency of suchsteam is to force them apart and crowd them over each against itsparticular head of the cylinder. To pre-v vent this, and thereby avoidsuch friction as would otherwise ensue, I have not only keyed andsecured both disks firmly to the same shaft P, but my means of strongscrew-bolts V V have so united them as to hold each centrally within itsrespective chamber, and by which screw-bolts they may be tempered to thebearing parts of the cylinder as often as the wear of such parts makesit necessary, and

by which construction, combination, and ary rangement a perfect balanceand equipoise of the disks is maintained.

The engine herein described, consisting of a cylinder, C, having thereina central dividing-ange, D, in combination with a rotary disk, E, oneach side thereof, and coupled together by means of the shaft P andscrewbolts V V, all arranged as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN MCGOWAN.

Witnesses: JOHN R. GORGE,

JOSEPH FoRsYTHE.

